Master of Information Studies Program Overview
“My studies at ÉSIS supported my career goals by building a theoretical background from which to explore future career options, while providing practical, hands-on experience (Experiential Learning and co-op) from which to apply this theory. ÉSIS gave me a general background about what options and jobs were available in the field of information, and also provided discipline-specific training to assist in skill-building in areas such as information organization, classification, and retrieval.”
–Kathryn West, 2nd year student in the MIS CO-OP option
Encompassing the collection, organization, storage and retrieval of information in all its varied forms, information studies is undergoing unprecedented growth and rapid change as our society adapts to the digital information age. ÉSIS has responded with a flexible, bilingual graduate program that prepares self-confident and resourceful students for the rapidly changing needs in the field of information management.
Students arrive at ÉSIS with a wide range of experiences and from many different backgrounds, including biology, communications, computer science, education, engineering, history, law, literature, music, political science, psychology, and sociology. First-year courses are designed to immerse students in the world of information: its history, its culture, best practices and emerging trends. At the end of their first year, students will have completed the majority of their core compulsory courses and will have begun courses within their area of specialization: information policy or management of information services. Students begin their second year of studies with more specialized courses. Some students will leave the uOttawa campus to complete their paid CO-OP placement, while thesis option students will begin working on their research projects.
Graduates of the MIS program at ÉSIS are prepared to take on many exciting career opportunities as controlled vocabulary specialists, digital curators, emerging technologies librarians, information architects, knowledge management analysts, library directors, metadata managers, privacy analysts, records managers and web content managers, to name just a few.